PH month 2018
by I-write-hurt-not-comfort
Summary: A series of oneshots for PH month 2018, all University AUs / tws: drinking, smoking, recreational drug use
1. Chapter 1: Rainsworth Trio

**_(A/Ns: yeah, i haven't posted much. Pfft. ive sort of just been writing loads of stuff but not finishing it. So anyway! This is for PH month, it is for Week 2 Day 5 (The Rainsworth Trio), the theme of AUs._**

 ** _Content warnings: mentions of drug use, drinking, smoking._**

 ** _Disclaimer: i do not own Pandora Hearts)_**

* * *

 **Week 2, Day 5 - The Rainsworth Trio - _'AUs'_**

"Sharon, my dear, are you positive you have everything?"

With a discreet roll of the eyes, Sharon released a somewhat endearing sigh. "Yes, grandmother. I am sure."

The time had finally come for Sharon to move out: "move out" meaning leave home to attend higher education. Needless to say, her exemplary work ethic combined with her natural intelligence and flawless problem-solving skills had easily gotten her a place studying Medicine at the best university in the country.

She was studious, responsible, and mature, and would surely excel at whatever she chose to do.

"You will do excellently, I am certain of it," Sheryl said earnestly, as they pulled over at the side of the road. The building ahead of them, where her accommodation would be, was nothing short of magnificent. Intricate architecture perfectly complemented its reputation. "If I may also say: I'm sure you'll have the highest A Level grades, as well."

"Yes, I think so too."

Sharon had obtained A*A*A* in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, the highest set of grades she could've possibly gotten, and well above her entry offer of A*AA.

As courteously as usual, Sharon and Sheryl both climbed out of the car, smiling at anyone who walked past as they traipsed around to the trunk of the car, and began unloading her belongings. Somehow, they'd compacted everything she needed into only two (albeit very large) suitcases.

After parting ways with Sheryl, Sharon successfully hauled her things up three flights of stairs, seemingly effortlessly. Easily, once she was on the right floor, she located where her new dorm would be, cracking open the door with the recently acquired room key without a moment of hesitation.

The room which she passed the threshold into was the living room, she presumed, a single three-seater sofa against one of the walls. The room was generously sized, the opposite end of it being the kitchen. There wasn't exactly a dining table, but rather a ledge, you could call it, with three bar stools.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that there would be three of them staying there.

Coming off from the main room, which made up a majority of the flat, was a small corridor, which led off to 3 rooms, each with the door on the right-hand side of the corridor.

Just as her gaze landed on said doors, the first of them, closest to the living room, clicked open. The person who emerged from the room appeared no older than her, with short brown hair and thin-rimmed glasses. Immediately, he halted, straightening up before frantically cleaning his glasses.

"Good afternoon," Sharon greeted, smiling at him with a smile which no one had ever trusted. She could tell he was panicking, and found it rather quite amusing. "And your name is?"

"Uh, R-Reim," he introduced, tripping over his words. "Reim Lunettes. And you…?"

"Sharon," she smiled again. "Am I correct to assume that there will only be three of us here?"

"Yes." Reim swallowed thickly. "Ah, sorry! I-I didn't mean to freely take the first room for myself."

"Do not worry," Sharon reassured him, before pulling her suitcases away from the door at letting it close. "Do you yet know who the third person is?"

"Well, not yet, but-"

The door, instead of slamming shut, was promptly pushed open.

"- I think this might be him."

As expected, there was a person on the other side, dragging a single, half-filled suitcase behind him. His hear appeared bleached, cut intricately into intentionally messy layers, along with a fringe covering his left eye. Focus glued to his phone, he didn't glance up to acknowledge them despite their interrogative stares. And the earphones plugged into his ears definitely weren't helping that.

Sharon and Reim were both staring at him for a good 30 seconds before he finally acknowledged their existence, pulling his headphones off and blinking at them.

Then, a deviant grin tugged at his lips. "Why hello there~"

Reim couldn't find a suitable response initially. Rather, he was still attempting to come to terms with how someone's personality could flip so dramatically across a single second.

Sharon, on the other hand, was evidently better at social interactions than he was. "Ah, you're our third roommate then?"

"Indeed I am," he responded, kicking the door shut behind him and dragging a delicate hand through his fringe. "The name is Kevin, but you can call me Break."

 _Because that obviously makes loads of sense…_ Reim facepalmed internally. _Did this guy seriously get a place at such a prestigious place?_

"You don't appear to have brought much with you," Sharon commented.

"Sharp observation," Break grinned once again, reverting his focus back to his phone for a couple of seconds. "I'm sure I'll make do~"

"Ah, I also smell cannabis."

"That couldn't possibly be me," Break denied instantly. Then, less than a second later, he marched across the room towards the corridor, already guessing that was where the rooms were situated.

"Wait," Reim interjected, right before he could reach the door knob.

Break perked up, although only partially paying attention. His personality had now shifted to moody; maybe Sharon's comment crossed the line.

"Do you, uh… want to go out for a drink with us, a-after we're done unpacking?" he asked. "I-I mean, just the three of us. Since we're, you know, f-flatmates now."

"I like that," Sharon smiled, but with an unsettling, sinister touch, also reflected in her next words. "Albeit I would have preferred if you consulted with me first." She paused, and turned towards the other. "Break?"

Break, now looking towards Sharon, was silent for about five seconds. Then, kicking open the door and flashing the two an unreadable smile, he accepted the offer. "Splendid~"

* * *

Surprisingly, Break had stuck to his word from earlier, and so had Sharon, despite not even agreeing to Reim's plan in the first place.

Also to their surprise, when they arrived, shortly after they'd just eaten dinner at around 7pm, the bar wasn't anywhere close to being full. It was strange for the first day of freshers, but it worked for them. Perhaps most people hadn't gone out yet.

Reim himself didn't actually drink, and admittedly felt slightly awkward asking for a lemonade. Both Break and Sharon stared at him judgementally, blinking a few times, before wandering up towards the bar together.

"What would you like, my lady~?" Break said, pulling his wallet out. "First drinks on me~"

"How kind," she said, albeit the next comment came much more savagely. "I do hope this is not an attempt to charm me, though. You are not really my type, I must say."

"Bold of you to assume that," Break narrowed his eyes at her, but continued to smile nonetheless. Then, under his breath (but audibly enough to be heard still), he added: "Bold of you to assume I'm straight, as well."

"Wine, please," Sharon smiled bitterly at him. Well, partially sincere, but mostly bitter. "White, but I'm not fussy."

" _Mom-drinker_ ," Break snickered, ordering said drink along with Reim's, and a vodka-and-coke for himself; a classic for a low-key alcoholic student with an emo-hipster kind of vibe, Sharon elaborately noted.

Joining Reim back at the table, they soon found that conversation between the three of them seemed virtually impossible, none of them having anything in particular to say or discuss.

"So, um…" Reim tried. Socialising was _his_ idea, after all. "What are you studying?"

"Medicine," Sharon answered almost immediately. "You?"

"Ah, medicine as well," Reim stuttered. He barely knew her, and was already faltering in his speech whenever she looked at him. "Er, Break?"

At first, Break didn't respond. Instead, he simply swished the drink around in his glass, downing some more of it, and then finally giving a very brief but unexpected answer. "Medicine too." Before either Reim or Sharon could question it, he stood up, rather abruptly, and grabbed his drink. "Please do excuse me, I must go get some air. Don't wait up~"

Sharon and Reim simultaneously watched in total silence as he wandered outside, placed the drink down on one of the tables, and lit a cigarette.

"I… don't want to sound _rude_ or anything, but…" Reim said, raising an eyebrow nothing short of judgementally. "How on _earth_ did he get a place at _this_ university?"

"Whilst I can't give you an answer myself…" Sharon replied, uneasily but still sounding confident somehow. "It's important not to judge him yet. He may not be like us, but he could be very intelligent."

Reim nodded. He barely knew either of them, but he already knew to always value Sharon's words of wisdom, at the very least.

As for Break?

Only time would tell _that_ one.

* * *

Despite the initial lingering awkwardness of their conversations, the three managed to make it past midnight.

After a few drinks, that was.

They'd quickly learnt that, even though she clearly liked to drink, Sharon had a fairly weak alcohol tolerance. Within a couple of glasses of wine, she was stumbling over her words and unable to walk in a straight line. Reim, on the other hand, had drunk more than her, and yet remained totally unintoxicated.

And Break… Break fell somewhere in the middle. It seemed like he _wanted_ to be drunk, but couldn't _get_ drunk, so he was sort of pretending. Sharon fell for it. Literally.

Reim, on the other hand: _not_ so much, which is why he had no qualms about Break carrying Sharon home once they discovered she wouldn't be able to use her own two feet.

Although it was nearing 1am, neither Break or Reim were ready to retire to their rooms yet, and when Break returned from taking Sharon to hers, Reim took it upon himself to offer him a de-caff. Without saying anything, Break took up the offer, waiting in silence in the kitchen as the other brewed the coffee.

Then, wordlessly, the two sauntered into the lounge, Reim taking a seat on the sofa whilst Break stepped over to the window at the side of the room, cracked it open, and with his spare hand, slipped a single cigarette and his lighter out of his pocket.

The words "don't smoke in here, idiot" or even "don't smoke at all, idiot" sat temptingly on the tip of his tongue. But for some reason, after watching Break stick the cigarette between his lips, light it, and take a deep inhale, Reim found himself mesmerised by the smoke drifting up in plumes from the tip of it. Mesmerised, and speechless.

"Ah, Reim," Break sighed, tapping the ash off the cigarette, taking another drag, and then holding it back out the window, as he exhaled away from the room. "You really ought to control your staring."

Instead of responding to Break's comment, Reim merely ignored it, and voiced what was on his mind. "Why… did you decide to do Medicine?"

Break, bringing the cigarette back up to his lips, was initially silent. Then, averting his gaze to the cigarette, hung outside the window again, he gave an answer. A brief, but incredibly meaningful and personal answer. "I've seen too many people in my life die, and suffer. I can't let that happen to anyone else I love, as far as I can stop it."

Reim was rendered speechless for the second time in that conversation.

"Ah, you see, I may _also_ mention that I obtained three A*s in my A Levels."

To him, it was a mystery how this… _person_ was able to achieve such an incredible thing. This person, who was totally unserious, irresponsible, and smoked and drank too much.

"What about you, Reim?" Break asked, snorting under his breath and tapping the ash off the cigarette. "Why are you doing Medicine, hm?"

"Well… I've always just… wanted to help people, I suppose," Reim said, adjusting his glasses. "Ultimately though, I'd… like to be a psychiatrist, if I can."

"Hm, interesting." The brief glance Break shot at him was discreet, and indecipherable. "Do you think there's some people who can't be helped?"

"No," Reim gave his answer with full confidence. "Everyone deserves the chance to recover, at the very least."

"Fufu, I suppose they _do_ say opposites attract," Break chuckled idly to himself. Then, flicking the cigarette out the window, he finally devoted his attention to Reim, grinning deviously at him as he spoke. "I think we'll get along just fine~"


	2. Chapter 2: Tragedy Trio

_**(A/Ns: this is for week 3 day 5, theme: AU. it's a little random, but eh. im happy with how it turned out lol. everyone just hates Jack. also Lacie saying "suck my dick" is the best thing ever, sorry i don't make the rules.**_

 _ **content warnings: drug use, smoking, swearing, implications of sex.**_

 _ **disclaimer: i do not own Pandora Hearts)**_

* * *

 **Week 3, Day 5 - The Tragedy Trio (+Levi) -** ** _'AUs'_**

Knocking her head against the window of the train, Lacie let out an exaggerated sigh.

Her and her brother had been on this train for two hours now, travelling from one side of the country to the other: the location of their university.

Their family had left them a long, long time ago, leaving them with a relative. A relative who took no part in their upbringing, and likewise provided no support when they landed a place at the top university in the country.

Lacie would be studying Psychology, Philosophy, and Linguistics, an idea from her old teachers. She'd always had a skill for Philosophy, and was naturally quite talented at Psychology as well. And deciphering all the facial expressions of her brother always challenged that talent – all _one_ facial expressions he possessed.

Her brother, Oswald, was a year older than her, and was therefore returning for his second year. He was studying Philosophy and Theology; not what you'd expect from someone as apathetic as him, but perhaps apathy was an advantage when discussing beliefs and such.

"So," Lacie attempted to start up a new conversation, idly fiddling with a strand of her hair between two fingers. "Are any of your old flatmates moving back in this week?"

"I don't know," Oswald grunted in response, his head knocked back against chair. "I didn't maintain contact with them."

"You're no fun," Lacie pouted.

That was the end of that.

Fortunately, their tediously long journey was finally coming to an end, the two reaching their destination, and subsequently dragging them and their belongings off the train.

The moment they were off the station platform, and away from the crowds of people, they stopped, Lacie taking a few seconds to yawn, stretch, and insult her brother. "You're boring."

Oswald, totally unfazed by her comment, didn't even respond. Instead, with his nonchalant stare briefly crossing Lacie's glare, he stuck a hand into his pocket, slipping out a cigarette and lighting up.

From beside him, Lacie scrunched her nose up, but didn't say anything. She simply waited for him to return the pack to his pocket, before leading the way to their dorm.

Annoyingly, they'd both been offered places at the same college. And to make matters worse, because they were both on the reduced offer scheme, Lacie and Oswald had coincidentally been placed in the same dorm. But – despite the fact he very rarely spoke of his experiences – Lacie distinctly remembered Oswald mentioning at some point that each room held three people.

The walk from the station to their room was relatively short, and before Oswald had even finished the cigarette, they arrived. Snuffing it out, he didn't hesitate one bit as he opened the door, signed in for the two of them, and then led Lacie to their room. That was one positive of having him as her brother; Lacie never had to actually do anything, because – to avoid hassle – Oswald did everything for them.

"Do you know who we're rooming with yet?" Lacie asked curiously, dragging their suitcases down the hallway. Everything smelt impeccably clean; everyone really knew that it would only take one flat party to ruin that.

"No."

Oswald's answer was blunt.

And then, when he opened the door, the two froze simultaneously.

Lacie _really_ wished she'd gotten some warning for _this_ , but given the (discreetly) shocked expression morphing onto her brother's features, she guessed he hadn't known either.

"Jack," she said, sternly. With an audible huff, she kicked the door shut behind them, and then drew in a deep breath. Planting a fake but scarily convincing smile on her face, she finally continued. "What are you doing here?"

The other student – Jack – instantly turned around, his face lighting up. And given the beaming smile which followed, it was clear that he hadn't picked up on the aggressive, bitter edge woven into Lacie's words. "Lacie!"

"No, it's not good," she deadpanned bluntly, her face dropping. "Answer my question."

"Haha, you were always so upfront," he chuckled. Oswald sighed loudly; he hated Jack more than Lacie did. "But really! How low are the odds that we'd both end up rooming together?!"

"Clearly not low enough," Lacie responded savagely. But Jack's smile had yet to fade – despite the blatant insults.

Him and Lacie had dated for over 6 years. But when rumours sparked regarding her and one of their other friends, Levi, Jack broke up with her. To no surprise, she was upset at first, which was what sparked Oswald to hate Jack too. However, after time, she came to learn that really, Jack was just a dick for falling for such obviously false rumours.

What _really_ crossed the line was when Jack then begged for her back, which stirred a nasty argument, and eventually led to the two mutually agreeing not to speak to each other again.

Clearly, that plan had now gone to shit.

"What are you studying then?" Jack said cheerfully, ignoring the threatening glare from Lacie as he abandoned the boxes of stuff he'd previously been unpacking.

"Psychology and Philosophy," Lacie answered nonchalantly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I swear Jack, if you're doing the same as me, I'm leaving."

"Aha, no! Of course not! I'm doing History."

At the very least, that warranted a sigh of relief.

"Ooh, is Levi in town?"

"No, but he's close. He's studying Philosophy, so I'm sure I can switch places with him." Lacie smiled bitterly.

"Hm… maybe you could invite him over later?"

Between spending a night alone with Oswald, or socialising with _only_ Oswald and Jack, Lacie simply shrugged. "Sure."

Contrary to Oswald's third sigh, Lacie could think of _worse_ ways to spend an evening. Besides, if Levi came, there was a 90% chance drugs would show up, and being high for their first night as roommates might just be bearable.

* * *

As expected, Levi wasn't doing anything that evening. Once fresher's week was over, at least. (Not that he was a fresher anyway). And within an hour of being invited, at around 8pm, he'd arrived to their flat, banging obnoxiously on the door.

Over a thick silence, Lacie answered the door.

"Where's Oswald?" Levi asked, before laying eyes on the other _guest,_ you could say. "Woah, shit! Jack?"

"Ah, Levi!" Jack greeted, although the previous silence made his greeting seem somewhat awkward.

"Strange, but hi," Levi chuckled.

"He's outside," Lacie responded to his previous question. "On the balcony."

"Got it," Levi said. "I'll say hi to him, and then I'll sure as hell return to this wonderful sexual tension."

"Suck my dick, asshole," Lacie shot back, grinning to herself.

"Gladly."

Levi's reply wasn't exactly what she'd anticipated, but before she could retort to _that_ , Levi had slipped outside.

"What's their deal?" he asked, approaching Oswald from behind as he lit a cigarette.

Oswald, tapping the ash of his own cigarette, didn't say anything at first. Instead, a slight frown formed across his face. Then, he spoke. "He thinks Lacie has forgiven him."

"Come on, it's been like, what, two years?" Levi scoffed, dragging on the cigarette. All of this seemed to be amusing him, strangely. "Can't you guys move on?"

"Not until he apologises."

"He's not a bad guy. He'll apologise once he figures out you're still pissed at him."

"He's clueless," Oswald said bluntly, exhaling a stream of smoke.

"And you're not?" Levi snorted.

The glare which Oswald shot him was nothing short of unimpressed.

"If you _really_ want, I'll piss him off for you."

"I don't trust you."

"I have an idea."

Oswald's expression was no more impressed, if anything less. Taking the last drag of the cigarette, he took the time to exhale the smoke and snuff it out before giving his usual brief response. "I still don't trust you."

"I brought coke."

"You are not giving Jack drugs."

"Fuck yeah I am," Levi grinned, grinding his cigarette out into the ashtray. "Here's the plan. We all get high, and then I sleep with Lacie."

"I don't want you sleeping with my sister."

"It'll be fine. I'll go gently."

"Irrelevant." Oswald grimaced. "What do I get out of it?"

"An extra line of coke."

It was strange that Oswald was seriously considering this. But even if he didn't remember anything from this night, at least Jack would finally realise that Lacie hadn't forgiven him. Although it might make the next year awkward as heck…

At _least_ he'd get to see Jack upset about it for once.

(Ignoring the fact they'd spend all night listening to Levi and Lacie screwing, that was.)

"Deal," Oswald said, shaking hands with Levi. "But not for the coke. Only to annoy Jack."

"Sure," Levi smirked.

Spinning on his heel, Oswald felt compelled to add under his breath: "I still get the extra line."

As expected, when they walked back inside, Lacie and Jack were still staring at each other in a thick, tense silence. The only difference was that Lacie's glass of liquor had now been totally emptied.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something here," Levi said sarcastically and he plonked down onto the sofa. "But I've got a little something for us, fufu."

In the split second during which Levi caught Lacie's line of view, he gave her a subtle wink. And instantly, a smirk tugged at her lips.

As he sat down, Oswald shifted uncomfortably. Since Levi had sat next to Lacie, she'd nestled up disturbingly close to him. He feared that one wink from Levi was enough for Lacie to get in on the plan.

"So," Levi sat up again without further ado, rummaging around in his pockets before producing a generously packed, transparent bag of white powder. "Who wants coke?"

"It wouldn't be an evening with you without it, would it?" Lacie narrowed her eyes at him, but threw her arms up nonetheless. "Whatever. Count me in."

"I've already spoken to my buddy Oswald," Levi chuckled, earning a glare from said friend. "Jack?"

"Well I can't say no, right?" Jack laughed. Nervously, at that.

Wordlessly, and with eloquent precision, Levi split up the drug into five even lines, making no comment of the extra one. Within a few seconds, he was done, each line having an equal length and width.

"Ladies first." He winked at Lacie once again, handing her the rolled note.

Swiftly, without a second of hesitation, Lacie shuffled to the end of the sofa, leant her head over it, and snorted her line in one breath.

Next to take his line was Levi, his pupils visibly dilating within a few seconds of the drug reaching his brain. He grinned. "This is good stuff. Jack?"

Jack gratefully but tentatively took the rolled note from Levi, staring at the line of cocaine. It stared back at him, temptingly.

Even though Lacie had apparently become engaged in some clandestine conversation with Levi, Jack still thought she'd notice if he refused. So, with a cautious aura about his actions, the blonde snorted his line, instantly being overwhelmed by the high.

A few seconds later, when he glanced up wearily, the fourth line had already gone. He assumed Oswald took it. But thanks to his drug-addled brain, Jack was unable to figure out why he appeared so… unfazed.

The room quickly fell into silence yet again, spare Levi and Lacie's inaudible conversation with the occasional chuckle. Although admittedly, everyone else was too high to notice this.

Then, rather abruptly, after another minute or so, Levi winked at Lacie, and stood up. Willingly, Lacie stood up, wrapped her fingers clumsily around his, before allowing herself to be led to her bedroom.

Jack, at first perplexed, shot Oswald a strange glance. Oswald, on the other hand, remained completely stoic.

Even when the sound of a creaking mattress sounded.

"Ah, I think she's over me…" Jack said, mostly to himself but somewhat directed at the other. He was disappointed, sure, but too high to feel _that_ bad.

From the outside, Oswald didn't even appear to have registered his message. Internally, however, he was doing a victory dance.

"Oh well. I guess I'll just have to become friends with you, then!"

Oswald blinked, let that sink in, and then proceeded to snort his extra line in a single, sharp breath.


	3. Chapter 3: Your choice (Elleoz)

_**(A/Ns: so this is the last day of PH month i'm doing, except it was yesterday because my laptop internet broke again. it's for week 4, day 5, and the theme is admiration. yeah i know it's still an AU which is linked to the other 2, but it has themes of admiration too. also please tell me if there is - at this point - a single character left in Pandora Hearts at this point who doesn't smoke. like this is so damn self-indulgent but oh well. everyone smokes now because i said so.**_

 _ **content warnings: Leo making excessive amounts of inappropriate jokes, smoking, swearing, light homophobia, it's really gay, refs to drugs, did i mention smoking, and gay**_

 _ **disclaimer: i do not own Pandora hearts)**_

* * *

 **Week 4, Day 5 - Your choice (Elleoz) -** ** _'Admiration'_**

Elliot very rarely regretted his choices.

He didn't regret working hours and hours every day to get the grades he got. He didn't regret going somewhere as _far away as possible_ from all of his friends. And he _certainly_ didn't regret applying to a university four hours away from his family home.

But when he _did_ regret choices, he _regretted_ them.

And right now, his biggest regret was willingly accepting Vanessa's offer to drive him there.

"Don't drink too much," she said sternly, glaring at the car which just cut in front of her. "It seems fun at first but it is not worth it."

"Vanessa, you did fresher's week yourself last year," Elliot deadpanned, "You know full well what goes down."

"I did not partake in the night activities, and neither should you," Vanessa declared, shooting a fleeting but authoritative glare at her younger brother. "So that means no binge drinking. And also, no drugs, smoking, or unprotected sex."

Admittedly, it noticeably crossed Elliot's mind that he'd done every single one of those things at some point or another, albeit he didn't even _think_ about telling Vanessa that.

"I won't," Elliot lied.

"I just want you to be careful." At that, Vanessa appeared to shift somewhat uncomfortably. "I know you're into all this having-sex-with-guys thing."

"… it's called being gay, Vanessa."

The frown which promptly spread across her face was _not_ impressed.

Eventually, they reached the campus of his new college, Elliot unloading his belongings as quickly as possible, just to get rid of Vanessa. Sure, he loved his sister and all, but _sometimes,_ she was excessively pedantic about _literally everything._

Once she was gone, the first thing on Elliot's mind was finding somewhere to have a goddamn smoke; she'd been on his tail all morning, which meant he hadn't gotten the chance to sneak out. But after scanning the campus, it soon became obvious that the designated smoking areas were either non-existent, or tucked away out of sight. So, reluctantly, he bit down the urge, and began searching for his dorm.

After checking in, it was fairly self-explanatory where to go. And within a minute, he located his room, slowly turning the lock and pushing the door open.

The first thing Elliot saw was books. Lots of them. Every single item of furniture had at least two piles of books placed on top of them. Shortly after that, he noticed the only person in there; given the fact he was currently holding several books, intensely inspecting them, he guessed he was the cause of this catastrophe.

A second later, said person turned his head, although Elliot couldn't tell what he thought, considering his face was heavily concealed by thick-lensed glasses and a mess of a dark-brown fringe.

He appeared, however, to be scanning Elliot over. Then, after a few seconds, with a quirky edge to his tone, he spoke. "Hmm… private school, snobby, a smoker but your family don't know, and… you're taking music."

Elliot blinked. "How the hell do you know all that? Y-You don't even know my name!"

"Simple. I just observed, and assumed," the other said nonchalantly. "Your clothes are fitted and designer, and rich usually means private school, and _always_ means snobby. You can also see the outline of your cigarettes in your bag, but if your family knew, they'd be in your pocket, and you wouldn't keep looking toward them. Oh, and… the music one was just a guess; I'm doing music too."

Sure enough, Elliot was stuck for a response.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Leo," he said, before returning his attention to lining the books up along the shelf. In no order too, apparently. "But anyway, hurry up and unpack, and then you can join me in searching for somewhere to smoke on this campus."

Despite being slightly put off by the other's demeanour, Elliot accepted; he wanted a smoke too, after all. "Fine. Whatever."

The smile Leo responded with was a mix of bitter, matter-of-fact, and grateful – somehow. "Perfect. I'll give you an hour."

Elliot felt the overwhelming urge to tell him to stop bossing him around, but the sharp nature of his words made him reluctant to do so. So, instead of picking a fight with him, he simply headed to the first free room he saw, and began unpacking.

It took about an hour, as Leo had predicted, before he was finished. And when Elliot returned to the living room, the pack of cigarettes and lighter ready in his hand, he was hardly surprised to see that there were still books everywhere.

Right before he got the chance to confront Leo, however, the door clicked open, revealing their last roommate.

He was short, with blonde hair and a nervous expression spread across his face. He had one bag with him, flung over his shoulder, and seemed unwilling to make eye contact with Elliot or Leo – which was most likely attributed to the interrogative stare he was currently receiving from Leo.

And, like he did with Elliot, before the new kid could even pass the threshold into the flat, Leo boldly listed off all his observations. "Hm, daddy issues, no self-esteem, you walked here yourself, so you can't be far from where you live, _another_ secret smoker, but you only started recently, and… hm, I would say you're doing music, but… you seem like someone who'd do Literature."

From the side of the current exchange (if you could even call it that), Elliot found himself rolling his eyes.

"Ah, yeah…" the other muttered, gently pushing the door shut. "I'm… Oz, by the way."

"Yes to what?" Leo asked, completely ignoring the latter addition and tilting his head.

"… all of it?"

"Nailed it." Leo smirked. He then dropped the pile of books he was currently holding, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes as he walked over to Elliot, near the door. "Alright, we're going to find somewhere to have a fag. Care to join?"

"Ah," Oz was stammering once again, "I was… going to do some other stuff-"

"You won't get lying past me, I'm afraid." Leo grinned rather proudly. "I can tell you need one, so join us."

Semi reluctantly, Oz nodded, and hesitantly followed Leo out the door behind Elliot.

"What's his deal?!" he yell-whispered to Elliot.

In response, with a slight frown of confusion tugging at his face, Elliot merely shrugged. "No idea."

* * *

After their search earlier, the three were successful in finding the smoking shelter of their campus, fortunately not too far from their dorm. However, with the exception of very light small talk, and the cliché "can I borrow your light?", none of them felt particularly obliged to socialise with each other. Instead, they simply returned to their rooms to continue unpacking.

Until the evening – more accurately _night_ – at least, when (surprisingly) Leo was the one to propose going out. And, unable to protest Oz and Elliot had gone with it; he was intimidatingly pushy when it came down to it.

Currently, they were walking towards the closest metro station, Leo's face glued to his phone. Irritating, considering he was the one who dragged them out, Elliot thought briefly.

Sure enough, though, just as they reached the escalator, Leo turned back to the other two. "So, where do you want to go? I'm searching for clubs now."

"Ah, I'm not really into clubs…" Oz spoke up, fairly confident his opinion was insignificant.

Elliot, however, seconded. "I hate clubs. Girls always try hitting on me."

"Fine," Leo shrugged. "There's an LGBT bar a couple of stops away."

"Well…"

Leo's dead-on stare cut Elliot off immediately. "I know you're gay, too."

Elliot fell silent.

Turning back around, Leo snorted. "And a bottom."

"Please stop talking." Elliot facepalmed.

"But _you_." Leo spun back around, and pointed at Oz. "I can't tell what you're into."

This time, it was Elliot's turn to snicker. "Looks like your gaydar is broken."

"I'm not gay." His response was blatantly unimpressed, but with a side of sarcasm. "Hm, no. I'm pan. Believe me, I love tits too."

Elliot shifted; he couldn't relate, and was becoming increasingly put-off by Leo's indescribable comments.

Oz also didn't seem to be very on his wavelength. "Bisexual, I guess, but I… I'm not out to anyone."

"Aha, I remember being in the closet," Leo chuckled, as they reached the platform. Given the confused and judgemental looks he received from passer-by's, he'd been a bit too indiscreet. "That didn't last long. Take it as you like, but I got some good hook-ups from that."

"Ah, I... see." Oz laughed nervously again.

"What about you?" Leo pointedly turned his gaze to Elliot. "Were you out to everyone?"

"I mean… I had a boyfriend for most of college, and most people knew, but… they never made a big deal out of it." As they got on the train, it became more obvious his next comment wouldn't be as positive. "My parents found out right after my A Levels. That… _didn't_ go down as well."

"I admire you both so much…" Oz murmured, smiling sulkily. Somehow. "You just have… so much confidence?"

Screwing his face up slightly, Elliot clearly wasn't impressed. Leo, on the other found, chuckled, evidently finding it amusing.

This conversation was subsequently by an awkward 10-minute silence, as they travelled towards the centre of the city. The centre of the city: where everyone knew the good clubs were.

Surprisingly, the wait to get into the club didn't take too long, despite the fact it was coming close to 10pm, which was well-known as the time most people started. Perhaps it was already packed; it was fresher's week, after all.

"First round on me," Leo declared the moment they made it inside.

Elliot – trying to ignore the deafening music and painful heat of the room – shot the noirette a questioning stare. "Where the hell're you gonna get the money to pay for that?"

"I have my ways."

"…"

"So, cocktail?"

"Sure…" Elliot answered, suspiciously. He truly didn't understand Leo. One minute he'd be making inappropriate comments, the next minute he'd be snickering to himself, and the next minute his attention would be elsewhere, and anything which tried to pull it back would be selectively ignored. "Wait, where did Oz go?"

"Hm, no clue," Leo muttered, shuffling through his wallet for the card and making no attempt to search for the blonde. "I need a smoke."

At the mention of smoking, Elliot internally facepalmed, as he was hit by the realisation that he hadn't smoked since early that afternoon. "Shit, same." He shifted slightly, waiting until Leo finished ordering their drinkers before continuing. "We can, er, go outside in a second."

Leo snickered. Again. "I knew you'd want some alone time with me at some point."

"In your dreams." Elliot attempted to make it offensive, but his savage-façade faltered, making his comment redundant. "Tch, let's just go."

"You're not waiting for Oz?" Leo titled his head at him, picking up the two drinks left once Elliot took his.

"God no," Elliot bluntly refused, "He's tiny. He could be anywhere in here by now. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost you."

"Say that again and I'll punch you," Leo threatened. And Elliot genuinely wasn't able to tell if he was serious or not.

As the two proceeded outside, an awkward silence fell upon them once again, making it difficult to make conversation. So, instead of trying, they each simply lit up in silence.

Silence until the door to outside slid open, and Oz came running out, panting frantically.

"Ah, thank god you're here…" he sighed exaggeratingly, wandering over to the ledge they stood by and promptly faceplanting it.

"Jesus, what happened to you?" Elliot scoffed.

"This girl called Lottie started hitting on me," Oz confessed. Sheepishly. "Argh, it was so awkward!"

Elliot couldn't help but snort amusedly, as did Leo. "How'd you get away from her in the end?"

"Well… I just told her that I needed a cigarette, which eh, isn't exactly a _lie_ …" Oz shifted, leaning against the table and hesitating for a few moments before slipping the cigarettes from his pocket and fiddling with the pack. "Aah I'm so not used to telling people that yet…" he sulked, turning away from other two as he lit the cigarette. Then, he spun back to them, exhaling the smoke discreetly. "I admire you for having that confidence, I always think people will look down on me."

"Why'd you even start then?" Elliot scoffed.

"Ah, I… stole my uncle's cigarettes a few times," he confessed sheepishly, once again. "And then it went from there?"

Neither Elliot nor Leo had anything to say to that.

Rather, Leo – the cigarette balanced precariously between two fingers – hopped up onto the ledge, taking a swift drag before continuing the conversation. "So, what'd you do at A Level?"

"Literature, History and Music," Elliot declared, nonchalantly tapping the ash off the cigarette. A smug expression morphed onto his features. "I got three A*'s."

"I got four A*'s," Leo said, his smugness massively outweighing Elliot's. "Literature, Language, Philosophy, and Music."

"Hm... I can't imagine you doing Philosophy…"

"I can't believe you guys got such high grades!" Oz gawked. "Ahhh I barely _scraped_ an A* in Literature, and then… A's in Biology and Sociology. And you guys just did… so well." He the laughed. Tragically. At himself. "I admire you both so much. Haah this is so awkward!"

Exchanging derisive, amused looks at each other, Elliot and Leo both snorted in sync.

Then, with a mischievous, but proud grin donning his lips, Leo took a long drag from the cigarette, slid off the ledge, and took two steps towards Oz. With another brief glance to Elliot, he placed his spare hand on Oz's shoulder, and said, "It looks like you've got a lot to learn from us then."


End file.
